Exploring the Potential of Metaverse Technology in Healthcare: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions

Abstract

In recent times, the emergence of the Metaverse has garnered worldwide attention as an innovative digital space that holds immense potential to provide a wide range of health services to medical professionals and patients. With increasing stress on healthcare systems, it has become crucial to explore the latest and cost-effective solutions that can provide fast and reliable medical services. The focus of this study, therefore, is to explore applications of metaverse in various health care systems and elaborate on how it can efficiently improve the clinical management of patients. Consequently, an in-depth assessment of the metaverse has been carried out, while covering its core fundamentals, key technologies, and diverse applications in healthcare and medicine, including but not limited to, emergency response learning, hands-on experience in anatomy learning, orthopaedics, paediatrics and so on. To carry out the study, we have used an exploratory approach to analyze qualitative data on healthcare metaverse services in our systematic review. Relevant articles from scientific databases such as Web of Science, Springer, Scopus, and IEEE have been identified, and the analysis has been conducted using the PRISMA reporting guideline to ensure transparent and comprehensive reporting. The results of the study suggest that the metaverse has the potential to transform healthcare systems by introducing novel methods for delivering healthcare services. Metaverse’s AR/VR technologies can enable remote medical consultations and training, benefiting patients and healthcare professionals. Additionally, patients can access health-related information and resources, empowering them to manage their health better and make more informed decisions.

Keywords

• Metaverse
• surgical simulators
• computer-assisted treatments
• pre-operative counseling
• augmented reality
• artificial intelligence